


what if we rewrite the stars?

by miacantwrite



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Astrology, Boys Kissing, CHUCK THE PUPPY, Canonical Character Death, Coming Out, Crying, Destiny, Fainting, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, High School, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Love, Lowercase, M/M, Panic Attacks, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self-Acceptance, Soulmates, Whump, eye porn, if that wasn't a tag before it is now, ishimaru is my fav character but BOY DO I LOVE BEATING HIM UP, junko is a little bitch, lowkey a vent fic hhhh, me?? self projecting myself onto my comfort characters??? its more likely than you'd think, mondo has pretty eyes, quite a lot of pov switching, someone give ishimaru a kiss....Please, stupid high school homophobia grrr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2020-09-01 22:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20265745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miacantwrite/pseuds/miacantwrite
Summary: "well, y'know... maybe you and i were destined to meet."the stars work in odd ways. they shine brightly on some nights, dully on others. they paint glimmering patterns across an indigo canvas. they shift into patterns and determine the fate of the world.kiyotaka loves the stars. little does he know, the stars love him too.(ishimondo high school au. lowercase intended.)⚠️!TW FOR HOMOPHOBIC SLURS AND VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF ANXIETY ATTACKS! PLEASE STAY SAFE ILY ALL💗!⚠️





	1. fate, astrology and teenage angst

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing a serious fic with multiple chapters, so im kinda nervous,,, i hope u enjoy though!

there's no sound outside, except for the sound of swaying tree branches. the breeze is slightly cooler than usual, reminding him that summer is almost over. reminding him that junior year is going to be the worst year yet.

breathe in, two, three, four. breathe out, two, three, four.

it wasn't unusual for kiyotaka to come out here late at night. gazing at the stars always seemed to calm his mind whenever he felt anxious. and, _holy shit_, was he anxious. 

high school was stressful. no matter how hard kiyotaka tried to stay on top of everything, things kept changing. _people_ kept changing. he didn't want things to change.

but the stars were the same. even if some were more shiny than others, it didn't matter, because the stars all looked identical. so kiyotaka would lie down in his backyard every night and map out the patterns in the sky. it comforted him, knowing that even if everything kept changing, the stars would never change.

sometimes, he even talked to them. well, not exactly _talking_, more like praying or something. stars could determine the future, and if there was over 10 billion stars in the universe, then there must be at least one for every person on earth. and maybe if he kept praying and hoping, his star would finally listen.

the stars work in odd ways. they shine brightly on some nights, dully on others. they paint glimmering patterns across an indigo canvas. they shift into patterns and determine the fate of the world.

kiyotaka loves the stars. little does he know, the stars love him too.

-

even after going to the school for two years now, hope's peak academy is frighteningly big. kiyotaka can hear some of the freshmen nervously whispering to each other. he tries not to look anxious.

"taka!"

kiyotaka sees chihiro and makoto waiting for him in front of the school. he walks up to them.

chihiro's eyes widen in concern as kiyotaka comes closer. "taka, are you okay?" he asks. "you look really tired."

"i'm fine!" kiyotaka insists. "i got...at least two hours of sleep. and i might be able to take a half-hour nap before my entrance ceremony speech."

makoto sighs. "overworking yourself isn't going to make you feel any better. it's best for your health if you--"

"_my health isn't important._" kiyotaka interrupts, a little louder than he expected. "what's important is that i work hard."

makoto and chihiro exchanged sad glances.

they didn't get it. they'd _never_ get it. he can't blame them for being worried, but they don't know what's best for him.

he's going to restore honor to his family name, no matter what.

"ah!" chihiro looks behind kiyotaka and starts waving. "hi, mondo!"

mondo walks right past the three of them (not before giving all of them one of his signature angry glares, of course).

chihiro's smile fades. "when did he get so _mean?_"

the school bell rings before anyone can answer the question.

-

breathe in, two, three, four. breathe out, two, three, four.

it's fine. you can do this. you've practiced your speech. this'll be fine.

kiyotaka's eyes itch with tiredness, and he tries his best to keep them open.

he can hear the teacher talking, but can't make out what he's saying. it all just sounds like random jumbled-up syllables.

you can do this. you need to do this.

he walks out in front of the microphone, taking a deep breath. he tries to sound as energetic as possible. "on behalf of all the students and staff, i'd like to..." his voice trails off and his vision blurs. 

he's forgotten his lines.

but... he couldn't have. he spent all night practicing, all night trying to make it perfect. 

this wasn't supposed to happen.

he hears the other students murmuring to each other. the meaningless words echo around the room, making his head ache. he tries to say something, but he can't form words.

his head throbs with pain, and the voices become louder and louder until he feels himself falling.

silence.

-

when he opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is a pair of eyes staring at him.

they're...really nice. they look lavender at first glance, but if you look a little closer, you can see more.

there's a slightly darker ring of purple around the iris, and kiyotaka can see small flecks of gold in one of the irises. they're almost hypnotising, and kiyotaka doesn't want to look away.

a hand grabs his shoulder and he snaps out of his daze. he moves back slightly and sees who the eyes belong to.

"are you okay?" mondo asks. his voice is softer than usual. "you had a really bad fall. was it because of nerves or something?"

kiyotaka looks away bashfully. "of course not. i spent all night working on the speech."

"all night!?" mondo raises his voice slightly. "you should really get some rest."

kiyotaka scoffs. "and why should i listen to you? you're a _delinquent_."

he says the word delinquent like it's a dirty word, and mondo almost looks _hurt_ for a second.

"you shouldn't judge me when you don't know anything about my life." mondo growls.

kiyotaka continues. "why shouldn't i? do you even _want_ to graduate high school? you break rules constantly, and you're failing pretty much everything. maybe if you weren't so weak, i'd--"

"_shut up._"

kiyotaka stops talking. mondo's head is bowed, and kiyotaka hears him breathing shakily.

"i'm strong." his voice trembles, and kiyotaka swears he sees a tear roll down his cheek. "i promised him i'd be strong."

"...mondo?"

"it's all my fault. if i was never born, he'd still be here." mondo's entire body is shaking.

kiyotaka grips his shoulders. "what are you talking about?"

tears are streaming down mondo's face. "i promised," is all he can manage to choke out.

kiyotaka isn't sure why, but he hugs mondo as tight as he can.

"it wasn't your fault." kiyotaka doesn't know what mondo's talking about, but he tries his best to comfort him.

they both sit there, holding each other close.

mondo feels a gentle, fluttering feeling in his chest, and he curses to himself quietly.

_damnit. not now. not him._


	2. she's a killer queen (no, seriously. i'm like, 90% sure she's killed at least one person.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> junko tells ishimaru a secret about mondo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> junko is a little bitch in this au lmao  
theres like. one homophobic slur in this chapter so if that triggers you then,,,, ye

junko enoshima. 

hope's peak had a social hierarchy and, despite only being a junior, she was at the top of the pyramid.

everybody knew her, and she knew everything about everyone. she practically ran the whole school. she could make your life a living hell with a click of her fingers.

that's why kiyotaka was surprised when she walked up to him in the hallway the next day. "hiya, ishimaru! you good? that was one hell of a fall yesterday."

"what do you want?" kiyotaka asks flatly.

junko's smile fades, and she tugs at her pigtails. "geez, how cold. i just wanted to check on you."

junko was weirdly into constantly changing her personality. you'd think she'd get bullied for it, but apparently being one of the most famous fashion models in the world had its perks.

her expression turns into a cutesy, innocent one. "anyways! mikan told me that you and mondo were hanging out together in the nurses office."

ishimaru shrugs. "he just came in to check on me."

"yeah, but i was super duper surprised! i mean, he _totes_ doesn't seem like your type. they do say opposites attract though."

"what exactly are you implying?" kiyotaka asks.

"you don't want him getting attached to you." junko says casually. "after all, he is _gay_."

"he...is?" 

"i know, right?" junko laughs. "who would've guessed that mr. tough-guy-oowada is secretly a _fag_?"

the words sting even if they aren't directed at him.

junko continues, twirling a strand of strawberry-blonde hair around her finger. "anyway, i don't think you should hang out with him anymore. you don't want a guy like him falling in love with you, right?

she giggles as she walks away. her laugh makes kiyotaka's stomach churn.

_he's gay._ he isn't sure why, but the words make his chest feel oddly warm.

-

kiyotaka's normally quite attentive in class, but for some strange reason he can't seem to stop looking over at mondo.

it seemed like junko was trying to get him to stop talking to mondo, but it only seemed to make him more interested in him.

mondo ignores him. it seems like he's still embarrassed about what happened yesterday.

the teacher's pairing them up for a presentation, something about ancient egypt. kiyotaka wishes he was able to listen, but his mind keeps drifting off, reminding him of the color of mondo's eyes. 

purple, with golden flecks. like there were galaxies trapped in his irises. kiyotaka could stare into them for hours, counting the dots of gold in his eyes like stars.

the teacher has begun calling out pairs.

"leon and sayaka." the idol turns to leon and smiles. leon looks down at the ground, his face red.

"touko and aoi." the two of them sigh disappointedly.

"yasuhiro and celestia." celestia grits her teeth angrily.

"kyoko and byakuya." neither of their expressions change.

"makoto and mukuro." makoto sighs with relief. mukuro looks like she could die of embarrassment.

"sakura and chihiro." chihiro looks up at sakura, slightly intimidated.

"junko and hifumi." junko rolls her eyes.

kiyotaka swallows nervously. he knows what's coming next.

_"kiyotaka and mondo."_

mondo curses under his breath.

kiyotaka feels sort of excited. the bell rings, and he walks up to mondo. "maybe i can go to your house on the weekend? y'know, since we need to work on the presentation."

"_fine_." mondo says bitterly.

as he leaves the class, kiyotaka can hear his heart beating in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "haha yeah this fic is slow burn" i say as i begin giving them romantic subtext in the first few chapters


	3. this is so sad, can we hit 3 kudos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kiyotaka and mondo find out a little more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "mia you have to stay alive, WHO WILL WRITE THE FANFICTION" -one of my best friends
> 
> IM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG my writing inspiration really said "lol bye"  
anyway. this is pretty long but im proud of how it turned out!! i hope you enjoy!

pretty much everyone else seemed happy with their partners.

makoto and mukuro were having a whole lot of fun working on the project. they seemed to get along really well, but apparently, mukuro was very interested in showing makoto her collection of various weapons.

"she was really excited to show them to me. she was, like, jumping up and down and laughing to herself." makoto explained to him. "who knew a military soldier could be so cute?"

chihiro was a little intimidated by sakura at first (to be fair, who wouldn't be?), but they actually ended up becoming quite good friends. chihiro seemed to like working with her a lot, apart from the fact that she almost crushed his laptop in her hands.

and then there was kiyotaka and mondo.

mondo did not like kiyotaka.

kiyotaka wasn't entirely sure how he felt about mondo. he stood outside mondo's house, tapping his foot on the pavement uncertainly. slowly, he reached out and rang the doorbell.

he heard muffled footsteps, and then the door opened. 

mondo looked down at him, sighing exasperatedly. "come in so that we can get this over with."

ishimaru frowned as he stepped into the home. "you shouldn't have that kind of attitude about homework."

"i'm not having that attitude about homework," mondo snapped. "i'm having that attitude over you being in my house."

"why do you hate me so much? did i offend you or something?" ishimaru asked, unintentionally letting a hint of concern tinge his voice.

"just-- just don't talk to me." the taller boy replied.

_that might be hard if we're in a group project together,_ ishimaru thinks, but he keeps that to himself, so as not to anger mondo further.

the presentation was on the pharaohs of the eleventh dynasty. he pulled out a book he had borrowed from the local library and flicked through the glossary.

mondo's eyes narrow in confusion. "can't we just... search it up on wikipedia?"

"anyone can edit wikipedia." ishimaru replied, without looking up. "there's bound to be untrue facts on there."

"but there's, like, those little numbers next to the facts, right?" mondo argued. "y'know, the ones that lead you to the notes at the bottom of the page?"

"not all information on wikipedia has citations. it's better to learn from the original source."

the brunette shrugged, relaxing a little into his chair. "it's not like the teacher's gonna care. as long as you just dump a bunch of random shit into the powerpoint, you'll get an a."

"how would you know? you're a straight d student."

ishimaru worried that he might have offended mondo again, but instead he laughs. "touché."

they sit in silence for the next few minutes. just as he's about to finish the first slide, kiyotaka hears a loud noise from the other room. just as he's about to question it, a white blur rushes toward him, and he shuts his eyes tightly and screams in fear.

he hears the other boy laughing and hesitantly opens his eyes. a small, white dog paws at his thigh, barking loudly.

then, suddenly, the dog stops. it crawls up into his lap and whines.

"...what is it doing?" kiyotaka says nervously. he doesn't know much about dogs; the only pet he's ever had is a goldfish, and goldfish can't really display body language.

mondo picks the dog up, cradling it in his arms like a baby. "chuck's a retired therapy dog. he can _smell_ your emotions."

"smell my emotions?"

"yep," mondo lays the dog on it's back and starts vigorously rubbing its stomach, "he was trying to make you feel better. weren't you, chuckie?"

it was almost comical watching someone like mondo being such a softie...but it was kind of cute too.

"so anyway, what's wrong?"

the words snap kiyotaka out of his daze. "huh?"

"well, you're sad, right? that's why chuck was trying to make you feel better. what are you sad about?"

kiyotaka shrugs. "i just, i dunno," he fidgets with his hands. "i feel like i might have made you mad the other day."

mondo is silent, so he keeps going. "i don't know why you got so upset, but i'm really sorry, i was just--"

"you were right."

kiyotaka looks back up at him. "...no, i wasn't."

mondo sits down. "i'm so weak, i can't even accept it's my fault."

"what are you talking about? whatever it is, i'm sure it's not--"

_"i killed my brother."_

it takes kiyotaka a second to process the words. it almost feels like a slap in the face. "you _what?_"

"we were having a stupid race, and i got too cocky." mondo says. "i nearly died. i would've deserved it. but he saved me, and he died."

kiyotaka feels sick. he can understand the things mondo is saying, but it doesn't feel real.

"i wasn't worth the sacrifice. but now, he's gone. and i'm sure every single one of his friends blames me. i'll never be what he wanted me to be."

the room is silent for a few seconds. then kiyotaka speaks up.

"i know what it's like feeling like you aren't good enough."

they're sitting right next to each other now. kiyotaka notices their pinky fingers are just barely touching. the thought makes his chest ache a little.

he continues. "i've had to work hard every day to amend for the mistakes my grandfather made. it's hard, and it hurts, but i know if i keep working hard i'll be able to do it."

his hand rests on top of mondo's, gingerly stroking a thumb across his knuckles. he stares into those lavender eyes, feeling his heart beating in his chest.

his mind feels fuzzy, and next thing he knows, those _perfect_ eyes are getting closer and closer, until he could almost reach out to touch them, to get lost in the endless galaxy--

and then a hand grabs his shoulder.

he snaps out of it, and notices their noses are almost touching.

"are you okay?" mondo asks. "you kinda spaced out for a second there."

kiyotaka stands up and backs away. "uhh, i have to go."

he doesn't bother grabbing any of his stuff as he runs off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know how i said this was gonna be slow burn? i lied

**Author's Note:**

> this is the cheesiest shit ive ever written holy fucj
> 
> leave a comment if you liked it or whatever akhdkajscjsfdw


End file.
